First Words

Kenny is really starting to talk.   Oh, I know that I am probably the only one who understands the bulk of his growing vocabulary.   Aside from, “Dada,” “Mama,” “Dudee!” the others  require  a little sharper ear.    

There’s “Bite” for “light,” “BO!” for “boat,” “Burrr” for “bird” and “Baybay” for “belly button.”   A couple of times he’s  lifted up my shirt and said, “Meo” for “milk.”   And everytime we walk outside these days, he points at the grass and says, “teetee” for “tickle,” which is what I say to him when he touches his toes into the grass and looks up at me in astonishment at the strange sensation.

He quite clearly says, “Teddy” for a  little book about a Teddy bear that we keep in the car for him ~ in fact today, he  was reading it to himself in the back seat with such passion that he kept cracking himself up.   Everytime I peeked into the mirror to check on him, he was nearly doubled over in glee.  (He laughs like that when I magically pull Cheerios out of my purse, too.   He looks at them in awe as if to say, “How on earth did you get out of your cabinet and find me?”)    He said, “steak!” perfectly today at the dinner table, but  I pretended that he said, “more pureed peas, please” instead.   That kid has expensive taste.

He’s really good at “more” and “all done”  in sign language, and he’s starting to understand how to sign “mmm, good” and “drink.”  

But I think what amazes me the most are those times when he looks at me with an earnest expression and babbles off a string of very intelligent sounding jibberish, then pauses with expectation to await my response.   Or when he points his finger at me, screws up his tiny face and very clearly scolds me (or Dudley) for some injustice we’ve caused him.   What I wouldn’t pay to have a translator in those moments!

It’s fun watching him learn to express himself.   He’s a sharp little kid, and he definitely understands the idea of language and communication.   I’m counting down to the day when he will look up at me in adoration and exclaim, “Mommy, will you teach me to help you clean the house?”